I got my Betta "Angel" in February 2010 ,first i had him in a "betta bowl" (small) , second i got a fish bowl (bigger than the "betta bowl" ) & third i got a bigger fish bowl (i think it holds a gallon of water-not sure) ...

anyway , heres the thing i dont really want or know how to maintain a fish tank,i dont really want the hassle of learning how to ,or keeping a fish tank (5 -10 or 20 gallon, etc.) i dont want to do partial water changes,or vacume up from the bottom ,etc.

when i got Angel i was told he would be fine in his small "betta bowl" ..but now im using the two fish bowls i got instead...

...i dont mind doing complete water changes daily or every other day with the fishbowls ...i like to put the water in one bowl let it sit & put the water conditioner stuff in to be safe transfer him in when the temps of the two bowls are about the same...then i clean out the bowl he was in & transfer him back into it the next day....

I have no heater or filter or anything like that ...i want to keep the process AS SIMPLE AS POSSIBLE....a bowl,& complete daily water changes...if this is "Good Enough " i will get more bettas, if not then i will just keep the one i have.....
Please dont say get a 5 or 10 or 20 gallon tank, i truly just dont want a tank like that & all that goes with it....

I think your system works great, in terms of providing clean water every day. I actually had thought of doing the same thing, myself, in the past. (Getting two small containers and transferring the fish, then cleaning the other.) Ultimately I wondered if it would be too stressful, but maybe not?

With that said, I do believe your betta would be happier in a slightly larger container to have room to swim. :) Even if you just upgraded slightly, it would be better then that small vase that looks about 0.5 gallons? BUT, at least you're giving clean water. :)

Keeping a tank is actually really simple, especially if you have a cycled tank. Instead of doing daily water changes you could do water changes once a week or twice a week. Even if cycling sounds too hard you can just get a 5 gallon and leave it uncycled. You don't have to have a substrate if you don't want to. The choice is yours, but I would definitely get a bigger bowl.

"Keeping a tank is actually really simple, especially if you have a cycled tank. Instead of doing daily water changes you could do water changes once a week or twice a week. Even if cycling sounds too hard you can just get a 5 gallon and leave it uncycled. You don't have to have a substrate if you don't want to. The choice is yours, but I would definitely get a bigger bowl."

What do you mean a cycled tank ? & what is a substrate ?
are you saying get a 5 gallon tank & just change it the same way i chage the water in the fishbowls ?

I'm still learning about cycling, so I will let some one else answer that question (basically it's where you establish beneficial bacteria on your tank's filter, gravel, etc. Good bacteria keeps ammonia levels down and makes the water healthy for the fish to live in, without needing to change water everyday.)

Substrate is either gravel, sand, marbles, rocks......basically anything you put in the bottom of the tank. Substrate can make a tank prettier, but can also be harder to clean out debris and poop from.

So basically, if you have a larger tank that is cycled, you won't need to do water changes everyday and clean the bowl out completely.

The size of the bowl you described is just fine, as any established AUTHORITY on fishkeeping will tell you. Your willingness to provide water changes makes you the PERFECT candidate to continue using bowls.

It's the fact that you aren't providing heat that worries me. Room temperature just won't cut it for a healthy, long-lived betta.

Mr. S and I've had our "discussions" on tank size...but I do have to agree with his concern over having the "bowl" at the proper temperature...it is definitely a critical point for the fishes' longevity. 76 to 80 degrees F is a pretty good range.

1) Your system of betta bowling (Watch out for the strike!) is effective and several other users on here use that system between 2 or more bowls. In the past, I have also used it, but I don't recommend it because there are better methods out there.

2) What is wrong with keeping an aquarium? Your betta might need a small amount of water to survive, and a minimum of 2.5 gallons to live happily, but they really do enjoy more open space. The initial cost of an aquarium might seem like alot. Heater, Filter, Hood (cover), light AND a 10 gallon tank separately will cost you as much as 80 dollars or more. But if you purchase a starter package, these are ussually priced for sale below 50 dollars. Not to mention the amount of money you'll save in water conditioner because the number of water changes will drastically reduce after your tank has cycled.

3) Cycling is something to look up. It is a natural thing that occurs in a conditioned aquarium. Little beneficial bacteria that make their way into your aquarium from the open air begin to turn fish and food waste into various nitrogen particles, and eventually the aquarium biologically filters itself out with the aid of your water filter. It is really a fantastic process, and with live plants it works even more efficiently.

With consideration of all the above, your daily water changes of a gallon or more can be reduced to as little as 1 gallon every two weeks or so with a properly maintained and cycled aquarium.